A pressing plant is a manufacturing facility where vinyl records are produced. The process involves creating a metal stamper from the master lacquer, heating PVC pellets into a "biscuit" (puck), placing it between two stampers (one for each side) in a hydraulic press, applying extreme pressure to emboss the grooves, and trimming the excess vinyl. Each plant has its own equipment, quality standards, and house sound.
The pressing plant matters enormously for audio quality. Top-tier plants like Quality Record Pressings (QRP, USA), Optimal Media (Germany), Pallas (Germany), and Record Industry (Netherlands) consistently produce quiet, well-centered pressings from quality virgin vinyl. Budget plants may produce noisier records with off-center pressings, non-fill (where the groove isn't fully formed), or recycled vinyl with more surface noise.
During the vinyl revival, demand outstripped pressing capacity, leading to months-long backlogs and some quality control issues. New plants have opened worldwide to meet demand, and established plants have expanded capacity. When researching a vinyl purchase, check Discogs for the pressing plant information — it's one of the strongest indicators of pressing quality alongside the mastering engineer.
Quality Record Pressings (QRP) in Kansas, owned by Acoustic Sounds founder Chad Kassem, is widely considered the world's finest vinyl pressing plant, producing records for audiophile labels like Analogue Productions.